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#5 Paolo Rossi
Paolo Rossi was born in the Santa Lucia area of Prato, Italy on 23 September 1956. He started playing professional football when he was signed up in Juventus in 1973, where he won a runners-up medal for the 1973 International Cup.
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Rossi, however, was believed to be frail after he underwent three knee operations in his early career life. To gain more experience, he was loaned to Como in 1975. Despite making 6 appearances in Serie A, he failed to score even one goal. His career turned a new leaf in 1976 when he was engaged by Vicenza on loan. Under the guidance of coach Fabbri, Rossi netted 21 goals in his first year as a centre-forward, won the Serie B golden boot, and promoted his team to Serie A.
In 1980, unfortunately, he was suspended for 3 years for alleged match-fixing. He was bought by Juventus in 1981 and led Italy to victory in the World Cup in the year 1982. As Italy’s top scorer, he was awarded the prestigious 1982 Ballon d’Or, Golden Boot for the highest goals (6) in the World Cup and also the Golden Ball award for the best player in the tournament.
Undoubtedly one of the best players in football’s history, he found himself in Pele’s Top 125 greatest living footballers in 2004. Today, Rossi engages himself with sports journalism.
